Wonderland
by Chom-chum's
Summary: "A joker is a little fool who is different from everyone else. He's not a club, diamond, heart, or spade. He's not an eight or a nine, a king or a jack. He is an outsider. He is placed in the same pack as the other cards, but he doesn't belong there. Therefore, he can be removed without anybody missing him."
1. Chapter 1

Alright! I finally have it up. This is the new Wonderland story. I was feeling super bored with the old one despite all its exciting plot and messed up characters. I felt it was missing something so I went back to the drawing board and decided to change many things. Fist off I'm going to start with Joker's origin. Yes, I know many have done one and stuff, but I always had a theory of my own, actually I had many theories, but this was amongst the top ones. I mean you have to get creative when it comes with the Joker, how could you not? But anyways this is my theory of Joker's origin, so enjoy and tell me what you think.

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><p>The weather had been amazing that day; the day Jack stepped past those black gates, the birds were singing, the sky was clear and blue and the sun was shining bright in the sky. It showed so much promise and hope; it was like a new chapter for him in his gloomy life.<p>

Yes, that was the day that would lead to his new life. That day was the day that made everything possible.

Jack was nobody before appearing in front of that house, no name, no face, no future, nothing.

He was a delinquent at most destined for life filled with small time gigs like drug dealing or an errand boy for the mob, but that was before he stepped into the premises of the Forsberg's. He didn't see it yet, but that place was going to make him the man he was today.

He's mother had drop dead from exhaust, but that didn't surprise Jack much. His mother was working 5 jobs to keep a roof over their heads and food in their mouths. She was only in her early 30's, but life was cruel to her.

She had given birth to Jack at 22, he had been a mistake she often told him when she was drunk. She despised him, whenever she looked at him there was a glint of hatred that caught his eyes.

She often came to his room in the middle of night, after she had gotten home from the bar, drunk and angry, cursing at him and telling him it was his fault his father left. Jack never knew much about his father, except that he was rich and Jack's mother had been his mistress.

Occasionally, if Jack caught his mother in a good mood when she was drunk she would tell him how they had met and the adventure they had before Jake's arrival.

It was only in these moments that she would look at him with love in her eyes, but she wasn't really looking at him. Jack knew better than to believe that, what his mother saw in those moments were not Jack but Jack's father.

It was a pain dealing with his mother, but he still loved her for all the things she did for him. When Jack was 7 he began to notice that her mood had changed. She was less violent and had stopped drinking, it wasn't until his 8th birthday before he found out why.

Coming home from school one day he found a man sitting in the living room of their small apartment. He had greasy brown hair on top of his ugly head and had black beady eyes that looked like a dead fish's. He wore a cheap suit on his fat body and the cologne he had on him reeked like sewage. Whenever he spoke Jack noticed the silver crowns in his mouth shining back at him.

The pieces didn't take long for him to connect. His mother had found another man, a useless stupid man. His name was Joe Bisunto, he had met his mother at the bar and they had been a couple for a year and a half. They were even engage for 6 month before Jack found out about him.

It wasn't a big shock for Jack when Joe moved in and it didn't bother Jack when they got married without his knowledge, but it did piss him off when he found out Joe had other women over while his mother was working.

The older he got the more it pissed him off, but what took the icing was that his mother knew about the affairs and didn't do crap. He had been late coming home from school one raining day when his bus driver had been changed to someone new, it took longer to get home than usual and when he did arrive his mother was outside the apartment. Just standing there in the raining cold outside the door.

The noise coming from inside the apartment and the red footprint bruise on the side of his mother's face told him all he needed to hear. The pig had one of his women over and had kicked his mother out the door when she came home early that day.

He couldn't understand how his mother could sleep in the same room where the pig fucked other women. Things didn't stop there though, eventually Jack began to notice the bruises and at night he would wake up to the sound of him beating her.

She would weep and cry out in pain as he beat her with his fist or other object lying around. They didn't stop until he was tired out from abusing her and passed out on the bed, his mother usually passed out by that time.

He didn't come home after things became like that. He always slept in the park when he didn't feel like going home or hung out in the library after school.

The only time he was home was briefly to get food and clean himself up. His mother and step father didn't notice his absence, but if they did they didn't care to point it out.

Somewhere around February Jack came home to pick up some new cloths and found his mother in the living room holding a bundle of cloths. It hadn't caught his attention until he noticed a small hand pop out to hold one of his mom's fingers.

She had waved him over, telling him her name was Juliana. His mother had given her to him to hold. Looking down on object in his arms he saw green eyes looking up at him. She had inherited their mother's green eyes and sadly Joe's brown hair.

Jack felt like he could crush the small girl in his hands and he was so surprised a human being could be so small. He felt scared to drop her suddenly and tensed up with his hold. His mother had let a high pitch laugh escape her mouth, something Jack hadn't heard in a while.

The gently touch and care she gave to the bundle of cloth gave Jack a new perspective on her, but it was short lived, like many things in Jack's life.

Old habits came to haunt his mother, her drinking was worst and Joe was more violent. Jack wanted to run away from home again, but how could he?

How could he run and leave his sister with those two selfish adults?

She may have only been his half-sister, but she was still his sister. It was up to him to take care of her; it was his duty to at least give her the care that he never got.

He stopped going to school after a while, he couldn't leave Juliana with his workaholic depress mother and her asshole pimp dad. The school didn't care and neither did his mother, but she probably didn't notice.

He raised her and cared for her, he feed and changed her, and he loved and cherished her. She was never enrolled into school but Jack taught her the best he could, which wasn't much.

At 3 years old she was happy to be with him, they were never home, but they were happy. Jack often took her to the library, but eventually she began to beg him to take her there.

At night he made sure she wouldn't be able to hear Joe and his mother, she was a heavy sleeper, and in the morning they would have breakfast and left the house. Things went like this for a very long time until one night when they returned home to find the block filled with red and blue lights.

The scene was unrealistic, it seemed right out of those crime shows: the bullet holes that lodged their self into the thin drywall the apartment, the white outline of a dead body, the dried blood on the cement and walls, the empty bullet shells, and the cops that were questioning them nonstop.

Jack had shield Jill's eyes from the scene, she was only 4, an age too tender for such a scenario.

When their mother arrived at the scene she was struck cold and pale, Jack couldn't help but pity her. She was screaming and yelling, kicking and cursing, crying and silent. She eventually fainted from the stress.

Sitting inside a police car while everything played by Jack had overheard that Joe had been setting up a debt with the wrong crowd and had been paid a visit. Apparently he was well over 30,000 dollars in debt from gambling, it was fuel to the flames Jack had for Joe.

He had not only caused pain for the family, but now he had left them with a huge debt with the mafia. Child services took over while their mother was in the hospital, for three days they were relentless with the questions.

Jack gave them nothing and when the three days were up their mother came to gather them at dawn. The ride home on the subway was silent, their mother looking tired and depress.

Upon arrival at home their mother immediately left for work and they were left in the house, which was finally silent now that Joe was gone. They didn't see their mother after that day, yes, there was the sound of the door opening and closing but aside from that Jack never saw her.

They spent the first few days inside their house, but Jack couldn't bare the sight of Joe's blood spatter on the ceiling and the bullet holes in the walls, so he took Jill with him outside again.

The cold air of the Narrow's helped him forget about the dark parts of his life sometimes. Juliana didn't seem to care, she played by herself in the park as Jack sat on the bench, watching like always. She was happiest at these times and Jack was the least worried during those moments.

The mail seemed to pile up every day when they came home and the light and heat would often turn off as time went by. Jack came to adjust in the dark and cuddled up with Juliana under the blankets when it happened. However, it began to become noticeable as the food supply in the fridge and cabinets dwindle down quickly.

It was around her fifth birthday when there came a knock on their door. January had just passed and Jack was almost 12 when they came to deliver the news to them. Their mother had died suddenly without a notice 2 weeks ago.

They were told to pack their belongings, the orphanage had been called and child services would be ready to pick them up. The debt collectors came and took everything that was of worth.

When their ride came to pick them up, all that Jack had in their suitcase was a few set of cloths for him and Juliana and a few photo albums, Jill had packed those.

They arrived at Sunny Side Hill, the gravel driveway had many potholes that shook Jack and Jill awake upon their destination. Stepping outside the car they were welcomed by an elderly woman with gray hair in a bun, she wore a thick black coat that had seen too many winters and a yellowish white apron underneath.

Looking behind her Jack saw the run down brick building, there was a chimney that was choking out smoke into the air, a few dusty windows, a blue chipped door that had seen better days and a few dying thorn bush decorating its exterior.

The sidewalk leading to the front steps were cracked and the air around the place reeked of despair, a place where children go to have their dreams die was what Jack thought. The interior design of the house interested Jack little, he had already known that it was somehow similar to the exterior.

Following their guides the adults left them outside in the hallways as they entered a room. They sat idling, waiting and eventually leaving to explore. The building bigger than their apartment, but quiet small despite its rumor to hold 30 kids.

Jill ran down the long hallways, excited and ignorant of the situation. She hadn't yet realized that this would become her new prison. Her long messy brown hair followed her as she ran carelessly through the halls and Jack followed slowly, his longer legs catching up to her quickly.

The walls were a grim yellow, not of paint, but rather from food and years of wear. There would be a few pictures here and there on it, but all of them were just stupid pictures of happy looking children or animals that did not exist in area.

Along the hallway were a few tables that housed dying plants and even a godfather clock, though it looked like the battery had run out long ago, its hands remained stuck in time.

Eventually they stumbled into a loud room, the noises bouncing off the walls and unbearable to Jack's ears. Jill took refuge behind him as a few eyes wandered over to them. The room settling into a silence as the others took notice of them.

Jack just stood there, looking right back at them. All their eyes looked dead to Jack, they all held that dead fish look in their eyes; the same eyes that the adults had when they realized the reality of their life.

The staring contest didn't last long before the social workers they arrived with came to take them. A few more words of farewell between the adults and they left.

Jack had thought that was the last time he would see them. He had yet to know of the plans they had set for him. He had yet to realize that his stay at Sunny Side Hill was short and that the day with Juliana was limited.

Jack didn't know that on his 12th birthday he would be leaving Sunny Side Hill and Jill and would be walking right into the black gates of hell.


	2. Chapter 2

Wow did I write or what. I took forever to write these chapters. hm.. I wonder if it will get confusing for you guys if I keep writing it in past tense? Please give me your opinion on this story and anything I can do to make it more easier to comprehend. Alright time to read!

Chapter 2

Jack had recently just turned 12 when the black cars pulled up on Sunny Side Hill's gravel driveway. Jill had asked him to have a picnic out in the yard that day.

Jack and Jill often had picnics when they were done with their chores and classes. It was a rare chance for them to be together; it was the only time they were able to forget about everything.

During their picnics they just laid on the ground, no blankets required for them. They wouldn't have crumpets and tea, or sandwiches and juice, but they didn't need that, because they had each other.

Jack and Jill were happiest together.

However, happiness wasn't permanent resident in their life, it came and went like many things. That day that was meant for their private picnic; that day that they were to be together, would be the last day they saw each other.

It all began with the black cars that arrived that day or maybe it had always been the plan from the start; maybe it had started when their mother had passed away or maybe from the moment Jack was born? Maybe he was meant to have this fate, maybe this was his own cruel destiny, and maybe it was just all luck?

When the car had arrived Jack was just about finished with his chores and Jill was just about finished with her classes, they were both just about to meet. However, before Jack could walk to their spot and before Jill could leave her classroom, the men from the black cars had entered the orphanage and they had approached Jack.

They were tall and wore black suits. Their eyes shield by the sunglass on top of their noses and their identity resembled nothing more than clones of each other.

There had been a total of 6 when they left their cars, two that approached Jack, two that had gone to sign papers and the last two that had gone to collect Jack's belongs. The came silently and they came quickly.

Jack didn't have a chance when they approached him.

He never saw them coming and he was whisked away without a struggle. By the time Jill had left the classroom, approached their spot, and realized something was wrong she was too late. She didn't even get to say goodbye nor did she get to even see her brother.

Jill would never see her sweet brother Jack anymore.

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><p>"Burn all of it. He won't need any of his possession from his former life anymore, so just burn it all." Her orders left no room to argue. It was a suffocating presence that overwhelmed Jacked when they first met.<p>

She had medium blonde hair and blue sharp eyes. Her skin was smooth, not one wrinkle could be seen, her lips were full and pink, but they hung into a scowl when she glanced at him.

She may have been his step mother, but she looked at him as if he was an ant under her foot.

She may have been beautiful, but Jack could see pass her painted skin and saw what she really was. This woman before him was an ugly beast, a demon in a disguise of human flesh.

He could see her hatred seething from her eyes. The woman wanted him dead, there was no need to hide it. Jack didn't really care, he didn't want to be here anyways.

As he was struggling against his abductor and trying to get back to Sunny Side Hill, trying to get back to Jill, he had come to realize what was going on. Everything was explained to him on the way over, everything had already been prepared prior to his abduction.

They had found his father, his biological father, and now he was supposed to just go live with them.

His name was James Forsberg, the CEO of some cosmetic company, and was part of Gotham's 1%. He was married and already had 2 kids, a son and daughter around Jack's age.

Apparently if James didn't take Jack off the state's hands they would sue him for everything he was worth, the ass reluctantly agreed when they pulled the fine and here Jack was, standing in the lobby of the Forsberg's mansion. When the door had open for him, no one greeted him. No one welcomed him or even care.

The maid that had opened the door for him had disappeared behind a corner and the black suits had rode off pass the black iron gates. He was left alone in that alien mansion as everyone else resumed their jobs.

That was when the wretch approached him. She descended from the stairs, a butler following in her shadow. Her blue eyes were glazed in high emotions as she stared flames through his skull.

Marianne Forsberg, his step-mother and the wife of James Forsberg. She looked a bit older than Jack's mother, maybe just by a decade, but young never the less.

What humiliation she must have felt when she discovered that her husband had harbored an illegitimate child with a younger women. This thought somehow gave Jack a sickening happiness, to know that you have flips someone's world upside down.

"Burn all of it. He won't need any of his possession from his former life anymore, so just burn it all."

With that order the butler to her side stepped from her shadow and proceed to confiscate Jack's luggage that one of the suits had hastily packed for him. Jack gave no resistance, her words were facts, and he did not need anything that was from his previous life anymore, nothing except, maybe Jill.

All that he had in the worn gray sack over his shoulder was old clothes he had long out grown, even currently the clothes he was wearing was too small for his body. His body had taken a growth pill the moment he turned 12, it was like an overnight change.

The obedience from Jack seem to not satisfy the woman in front of Jack. In fact it seemed to piss her off more. It seemed that she was hoping to get a rise from him, to give her a reason to punish him most likely.

Jack just ignored it, he was used to people like her. No fault that she simply had not grown up yet. But then again this was how most adults were, always going on about responsibilities and turn around to do childish things, such hypocrites.

As the butler walked off with Jack's stuff his step mother walked off too. She didn't wait for him and it seemed that she did not want for him to follow. Jack simply waited for her to leave.

The distant soft taps of her heels that eventually faded to silence told him she was gone. He couldn't be happier, the woman gave off such a snobby, arrogant presence it sicken Jack that he would have to call the thing his step mother.

"Hello." looking to the top of the staircase, two familiar blue eyes looked back at Jack from between the bars of the stairway. Her hair was chestnut brown and she held freckles that lightly touched across her cheeks.

In some ways she did resemble her mother, but Jack could see the other features that her mother had not graced her daughter with. For one the girl's eyes lacked her mother's sharp eyes and had instead been giving doe eyes like Jack's, and her cheek bones had also not resembled her mother's shallow structure.

She was most likely only a year younger than him, it was possible that they could even be the same age. "You're the bastard child right?" her question seemed pure with only curiosity, but it stung none the less.

"What of it?" Jack look back at her. Her cheeks chubby compared to his hallow one's. She was plump and adorn in ribbons and pink. Her brown hair was put into pigtails and her dress was puffy.

She somehow made him think about Jill; Jill who would never get to wear such dresses or have such ribbons in her hair; Jill who would never be as plump because she wasn't being fed enough; Jill who didn't and wouldn't have the luxury to every have anything.

"My name's Nency, with an E." the image faltered immediately, her way of introduction was the same as her mother.

"I'm 11, but I'll be turning 12 soon. My mom says that I shouldn't talk to you but I'll talk to you if you become pledge your loyalty to me."

She waited, big eyed and ignorant of her words, waiting for Jack to respond. He decided to only ignore her and walked off into the direction that he had seen the maid disappear off to.

"HEY! I'm talking to you! HEY!" her voice shouted out to him as he began to leave. Jack could hear her fumbling to follow him, scurrying down the steps to follow him in pursuit of her answer. He continued at his pace, she wouldn't reach him before he disappeared.

"Hey! W-", a short noise of tripping and falling, followed by some whines and groans of pain, "Wait for me!"

Turning the corner Jack slowly browsed the hallway. It was plain, no clocks or pictures, just walls and more hallways that intersected with the current one he was in. Each other hallway held a gold number above its door entrance, nothing else.

Jack considered it to be the servant's hallways. This was probably how they moved around the house. Bored with the halls Jack focused more at the end of the hall.

At the dead end of the hallway stood a door, a bright light glowing from beneath the door and music softly escaped through the solid mass. Jack could feel the temptation to peek behind the door. Possibly a horrible torture room or a terrifying discovery, or maybe it was just a laundry room for the servants or a break room like the one in the orphanage.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings!" from behind Jack could hear the girl reaching close to the him, making a decision to lose the annoying brat he quickly escaped into one of the hallways.

Its wall color differing from the other one he was just in. Unlike the royal blue in the main hallway this one was laid with a dark red maroon with black stripes overlapping it.

The hallway was dark, however, and hard to adjust to considering the dim lighting it help in its hall. Walking cautiously down the pathway he could feel the elevation and spiral the path was taking. He would most likely end up on the second story.

It didn't take long for a door to appear, opening the door at the end of the path a bright light filled the room and momentarily blinded him. Stepping out into the light Jack could make out the stairs that were in the lobby and if he listened closely he could hear the light footsteps and whining of a little girl.

AS he had thought, the hallway was actually staircase for the servants to get to the next floor without notice. They most likely used the pathway for things they need to roll by the looks at the marks left in the carpet.

Looking about Jack could see that these halls were adorn with pictures and decorations. A god father clock standing below on the platform of where the stairs separated to different sides of the mansion. Hanging above the antique was a huge painting of the Forsberg's.

Jack had neglected to take notice of the thing when he had arrive, despite it being the centerpiece for the lobby above the granite staircase. Maybe he had seen it, and had just not want to see it because it held the man he hated most in the world.

Maybe he had neglected because he dread the thought of seeing the man that his mother had wasted half her short life crying about. Or perhaps it had been the fact that he would be looking at the man that his mother had found him to closely resemble.

He would be looking upon the blond hair her mother had loved, the brown eyes that his mother had longed to look at her, the mouth that his mother had told him when she was drunk, the face that his mother had cried over, the person who his mother had loved till the day she died, the man who did not even notice the absence of her presence and the father that did not even want his own flesh and blood.

No matter, he was going to have to look at it now and for the rest of his stay in this hell house they expected him to call home.

However, Jack would never feel that this place was his home; his home was a small apartment on the West side of the Narrows. His home smelt like wet distilled water and mold; it was small and crowded, but it was cozy and held life. It didn't sparkle or dazzle, but it seemed like a treasure now that he thought back.

It had rats and roaches, molds and leaks, but Jack grew up in its walls and though they weren't great, he had memories her cherished in those walls. He had a mother and a little sister he needed to take care of. He…

"You should try to forget young master."

Breaking from his thought and turning once more to locate the voice of another Jack met a man in his late 40's. One of his eye was covered over with a patch and his brown hair was neatly combed back. He was tall and sturdy, dirt stains were attached to his clothing, seeming to almost blend into its design, and he sprouted a broom mustache over his dry cracked lips.

His words had not yet reached Jack's ears and when they did he was surprise to feel relief from those words. They were the first kind words from someone in this place.

"I'm not a young master. Last I checked I was just a child of another woman, a bastard child." Jack spat those words out cruelly despite the kindness of the older man. He didn't know why he snapped back, he had not meant for it to come out so spiteful.

The man didn't seem to mind, he held an understanding look in his brown eyes, "What shall I address you as then?" His voice deep and calm; he did not hold the composer of a butler, he was a bit too sturdy for that, plus his clothing were not similar to that of the other butler. "You can just call me Jack and who are you?" Looking questioning at him Jack studied him closer, he was most likely a handyman of some sort. The muscles on his arms were only earned through hard labor and the calluses on his hands were from rough and firm handling.

"I'm Robert," he paused as he noticed Jack's intense gaze, Jack awkwardly looked away, "I'm the groundskeeper and gardener. Are you looking for your room?" He seemed to had added his job title for Jack's sake, he was quite good at reading Jack's thoughts.

"No I'm not looking for it, I'm just looking around." A chuckle from the man "I see well if you decide to depart to it later it's in the south wing on the second floor, 7th door to the end on the left." Jack waited patiently for him to finish before he asked "What did you mean when you said for me to forget?"

The man had been caught off guard, he must had thought Jack had not heard him. He hesitated with his answer too.

"Th-", he paused, thinking over his words before he continued, "You looked like you were missing something no longer in your hold. You had the look of regret in your eyes son."

Jack merely waited, the man wasn't done yet, "Kids nowadays shouldn't-", another pause, "I guess what I meant was that you're too young to have such a thing as regret in your head. Try not to think too much on the past, boy."

That sentence right there, Jack would recall back to it in the future. Those comforting words that were giving to the sullen 12 year old Jack would one day surely…..

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><p>Jack hissed as the water stung the wounds in his palm. During his thoughts he had clenched his fist too hard and dug his nails into his hand. It hadn't hurt until then, when he had entered the bath. The soap in the water burned the open flesh as Jack bathe in its refreshing touch.<p>

Robert had left after explaining many of the layout of the house to him. He took his exit when one of the maid came to fetch him around late evening. The god father clock had rang at 8, Jack decided to leave for his room. No one stopped him on the way there and no one cared to talk to him.

Heading for his room he noticed that the pictures and the antiques diminished along the ways, the halls also didn't seem to have any presence of life like the other wings and the further he went the more dead it seemed.

It didn't take much for him to know that the South wing was an isolated wing of the house. It wasn't as glamorous as the rest of the house, but it was decent. Almost like it was built especially with him in mind.

When he arrived at his room he found clothes laid out for him on the chair by his closet. It was a school uniform consisting of a navy blue blazer and pants, a light blue button shirt for underneath and a clip tie hung next to it. New black shoes stood at the foot of the chair, they were his size.

Jack hadn't receive new shoes ever, his were always hand downs from the neighboring kids or a local church. Now staring at the new pair of black leather shoes made him feel rather poor.

Shaking the thought he looked into the bathroom and found it already filled and was still warm, making it just recently drawn. Deciding to take a bath he stripped and entered the salt filled water, which was when he discovered the wounds he had inflicted upon himself.

This house, he would watch it burn. Everyone in the household. They lived so carefree and big that they didn't even notice the struggles of people like jack. They didn't even know the value of hard work.

Everything had been spoon feed and pampered for them from day one. They would never experience hardship or poverty. Nor will hunger ever touch their stomach and fear cloud their senses. They never had to look death in the face each day or feel the helplessness of being weak or the impending failure no matter how hard one tried.

Losing himself once again to his thoughts Jack did not notice his nails digging into his arms, he didn't notice the blood slipping through this skin and into the water. All he knew was that he would make this house, no he would make this would see and feel all this.


	3. Chapter 3

(Time skipping)

Skip, skip, skip to my Lou, Skip, skip, skip to my Lou, Skip, skip, skip to my Lou, and skip to my Lou my darling.

Ha-ha I thought about that when I thought about time skipping. I'm too random. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Every night when Jack went to sleep the same voices haunted him in his sleep. They came constantly to remind him of the things he always put in the back off his mind. A constant reminder and mental scar that was always there.

"Can we have a picnic today Jack?" Jill, "It's your fault! If only you weren't here!" his mother,"Bastard child~bastard child." Nency, "Just try to forget son" Robert.

"WRONG!""I like you." "You can't go back." "Broke his crown." "She's gone." "Make it count Jack." "Why not!" "You got to punch it here." "Jack and Jill went up the hill" "Impudent" "You can't escape from here." "IT WAS YOU WASN'T IT!" "You have your mother's eyes." "Go away!" "It's better off if I hadn't met you." "Came tumbling after."

It all became a blurry mess when the voices just collide. Everyone became a big fuzzy ball of noise as Jack loss sight of their voices and their words, he could no longer hear them, just white noise.

An infinite staircase of memories welling up for him to climb and escape. Like a looping film with a broken record. It continuously continued, Jack's own hell.

Daybreak's sunlight touch his lids and the buzz of Jack's alarm woke him up from his restless slumber. He got up willingly, his long golden locks falling over his long face. He took a deep inhale to bask in reality.

The morning air was cold and refreshing as he stood from his bed, the sheets laid scattered on the floor as he walked off to the bathroom. Someone would come to fix them by the time he came back, his clothes would be laid out and his breakfast would have been gone too.

Living here for the past two years now he was used to the ghost appearance and disappearance of things. They were almost like a routine thing for him now.

Stretching out his sore muscle he walked off to take a shower. His morning routine continuing like normal, a shower, brushing his teeth and taking care of other hygiene.

For the past 2 years now Jack had come to grow even more, despite only being 14 he was quite tall for his age. Growing so quickly, his clothes and shoes had to often be replace monthly and his bed had been switched from a queen size to a king size to match his length.

The boy also had notice that he'd become more hairy than usual since his 13th birthday, his voice had also taken a drop while his jaw began to become more pronounce on his face. Robert had once commented on his growth speed, dropping jokes about his puberty change, none seeming to amuse him.

Despite all the change on his outer appearance he was indifferent, his internal feelings were still the same. He still despised the house that took him in, he still hated the life he was currently living, he still hated his father and the stupid family that reside in the mansion, and he still loafed everything.

Buttoning his uniform blazer he got ready to leave his room. The south wing had not changed, it still loomed in the back of the mansion; it still remained isolated and untouched. The empty halls of the corridor echo his steps as he walked through them, his walk not long as he came to the lobby.

He enjoyed the silence he received from being isolated off room the whole mansion. He didn't have to see the people he hated and he didn't have to talk to anyone.

Waiting at the door of the lobby was the head butler, he stood silently as he opened the door for him to leave, and from the dining room Jack could hear the laughter and noise of the Forsbergs.

They were eating breakfast like normal, it was only 5 a.m. and the kids didn't have to leave until 6. Jack just like to leave the house as soon as possible, plus Jack didn't eat breakfast.

Walking pass the butler and grabbing his backpack he stepped into the waiting car outside. He closed his eyes, awaiting the departure from the mansion, it was one of the things he found he couldn't wait for.

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><p>He was the first to always leave the house and the first to arrive at school. It was much more to his taste, if you were the first one there you didn't have to push through the crowd of student's and you didn't have to start your day off with loud noise echoing off the stone walls and halls.<p>

All he had to listen to was his footsteps and the light squeaks of his shoes.

Making his way through the high school doors he walked towards its library. The cafeteria was something he never went to, it was too loud and too crowded. His first year at the private high school taught him that.

He ended up having the chief at his house pack him his lunch. Halfway through the second semester of his first year he had been looking for a place to eat lunch and that's when he found the library. It was quiet and barely anyone roamed it's isles of books. Plus Jack prefer the smell of books over teen spirit.

It was during his lunches in the library that he met her one day. She was short, with black long hair and pale skin. She looked like she never stepped once out into the sun before. Her eyes were blue and she herself was very pretty, not outstandingly beautiful, but she had her own charms that caught his eyes.

She was nose deep in a book when he had saw her. Her hair was in a ponytail and she had decided to sit against one of the bookshelf, reading away at the book in her palm. One of her leg was laid out across the floor and the other rose up to comfort the book against her chest.

Aside from the school uniform, which consisted of a blue plaid skirt, light blue blouse, short feminine dark blue blazer, blue bow tie, knee high socks and black leather Mary Jane shoes, she wore sweats underneath her skirt, her bow tie had instead been used as a hair tie and where her mandatory shoes were was house slippers.

Jack had taken a likening to her because of this. Every day when he went to library he would see her there, reading, her untamable hair would be up and her uniform would always be code violation. They never spoke, they just read in silence. She never looked up from her book and he never thought to talk to her. Girls were a waste of time in his opinion.

However, he did find himself wondering about her at times.

Such as did she ever get stopped by the hall monitor and teachers for her sweats and shoes, what was her name, what year was she in, or what she was reading that day? But he often just pushed them away.

When lunch was over she was always gone, Jack would always see her spot empty when he walked past it. Somehow the library became the highlight of his days in high school because of her. He found it amusing to see what her outfit was each day, pondering on what other things she did outside of the library.

He didn't know much about her except that she liked reading books and breaking the dress code. He never saw her outside the library, which was expected considering the fact that the high school had hundreds of other kids on its campus.

Entering the library that morning Jack wasn't surprised when he saw her there. She was reading another book, its cover facing away from him and the spine was buried into her thigh. She didn't look up or acknowledge him, she just kept reading away.

Jack walked off to his normal spot too; he sat at one of the tables posted by the windows. He had perfect view of the campus from his seat and a perfect view of her. He often came for the view, it was relaxing to see it.

The drop off in the front of the school was just about filling up by the time Jack finished the book in his hands. In the busy crowd he could see Bruce Wayne just getting dropped off by his ride.

A Toyota Century Royal, only six were ever made in the world. The sleek metal death box rode into the campus with authority as the crowd in the front entrance stopped and stared at its power in awe. This was a ritual on campus everyday; all the faithful followers watching as their prince arrived at school in his black steed, forever in high hopes of getting a single glance or touch. Pitiful fools.

The sight made him sick.

Watching in disgust Jack could see flies gathering around Bruce as he emerged from his limo. His expression was like yesterday's, which was just like the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that day, which was all the same as today. It was indifference to his surrounding; he didn't bother to notice the crowd that worshiped him, or the $534,135 limousine he just rode into school.

Jack could see how he could be so indifferent about his life, the boy had everything a person could wish for, a silver spoon fed life filled with power, money, and anything he could wish to want, yet he didn't give a glance of worth. It was revolting.

The Toyota Century Royal left when Bruce was well half way to the school's main entrance. Everyone outside quickly gathered around the boy, their phones out, texting and posting and taking pictures of him, and despite the fact that Bruce Wayne was surround by so many people at once he looked, Jack couldn't quite pin it yet,...lonely?

What the hell did Jack care about? Bruce Wayne was just...just..what was Bruce Wayne to him? He didn't quite know himself.

He and Bruce weren't on friendly terms, but they weren't on bad ones neither. If anything Bruce Wayne made things interesting for him, but it irked him sometimes at the thought of Bruce.

Maybe because they resembled each other in some aspect, or maybe it was something else, scratch that, it was definitely something else. What was he thinking, Bruce and him would never be the same. But he had his doubts, because they felt so similar, but they were definitely different.

Yes, they were definitely different. Bruce Wayne was born into his rich silver spoon fed life, Jack on the other hand had been born into the poverty stricken city of Gotham, the Narrows. They were of different worlds.

He didn't ponder on it for long. Jack decided to just push it to the back of his mind, like many things he didn't find amusing. Deciding that it was time for him to leave the library he began to gather his things, which wasn't much.

He dropped off the book he read at the desk of the absent librarian, whom seem to exist in a another dimension as Jack have never seen her in all his time spent in the damn place. The only proof to her existence was the empty tea cup at the corner of the desk with a faint lip stain on the rim and strands of blonde hair that often appeared on the desk and rolling chair when the woman shed.

Pushing pass the library door, Jack didn't bother to look back in search for the girl that inhabited the library with him. He knew she had left some time ago when Bruce Wayne had arrived, the soft click of the doors had told him.

Stepping into the hallways Jack could hear the distant noise of the up coming stampede of Bruce Wayne. He simply took his time to the stairs and made his way to his homeroom.

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><p>The voices behind the door were loud and tense as they tried to compromise with each other on the situation at hand. Jack could tell by the principal's voice that the man was already flushed in the face with rage, just a bit more and the man might die from his heart give out. Inside the room Robert was fighting back, but the retired veteran was much more calm and by the way the conversation was going the principal was going to see more of Jack in the future.<p>

This had been the 9th time Jack had been sent to the office for a violation of something.

Each time, however, Jack would be let off scotch free, because all Robert had to do was flash the Forsbergs's name and all was forgiven. Of course no one knew he was a Forsbergs, he still went by his mother's surname, Napier.

The only ones who knew on campus were the principal and his half sibling, everyone else thought he was a scholarship student.

Sitting outside the principal room was normal for Jack. Breaking the school rules were normal for Jack. Having Robert visit the principal, instead of his Father, was normal for Jack.

But that day, watching the girl who he saw in the library walk into the office with a dress code violation wasn't normal. Her bunny slippers had hopped their way into his line of vision when he was busy glaring at the puke resembled carpet.

Her face was set off into a pout and the bow holding her ponytail up had been adjusted back to the front of her blouse. Her entrance was followed by a shout from the room behind her, demanding her to take off the sweats, she gave back a remark that earned a scorn from the adult, she gave back sass and employee gave up, rumbling about teens and smart mouths and left the office before the said teen could counter.

The girl rolled her eyes mumbling about sexism and agism, among other pretty remarks that Jack liked. In the girl's right hand Jack could see seven pink slip given to students with dress code violation, the fact that she was seven was amusing.

The girl sat across from Jack with a huff as she glanced at the words written on the slips, rolling her eyes even more and exhaling in disbelief, she eventually just ripped up the slips and threw them on the ground.

After that she seemed to had notice Jack, first looking at him, then studying him, then as if bored of looking at him for 5-7 minutes spoke.

"Can you believe they want me to wear those horrible shoes with this skirt?" Jack didn't reply, she wasn't expecting him to. "I mean talk about a fashion disaster. It makes me think what this world has come to." Huffing and looking like she was done ranting to him she looked Jack in the eyes.

"So what are you here for? Did you pull a prank or something? You look like a joker type to me." she leaned into his direction, her wavy black hair was hanging over her shoulder. They sat there waiting in silence until he decided to speak, a smile of sort playing onto his lips, " I guess you could call it a joke." Her eyebrows went up in curiosity, a smile spreading onto her lips as they both saw the glint reflecting in each others eyes. " Oh? What was so funny about it?"

"Let's just say there was nitroglycerin involved." Her face was blank for a second, Jack just waited, not everyone gets the joke. Many had to be there to understand it, but after a few second her lips curved upward and a laugh bellowed out.

Breathless from her laughter Jack could barely hear her when she tried to talk. "I-ita-haha-mus-sa-haha been a BLASA-haha-T!" The response caught him off guard a bit, but it didn't take long for a him to join with her in fit of laughter.

The sound came out foreign to him as it bletch from his stomach. It sounded almost insanely too high for him, but Jack hadn't laugh in...well forever.

The girl across from him began to laugh harder as she began to point at him, her face becoming red and her laugh fading as she ran out of air. Despite the lack of oxygen her features to;d him she was still laughing and this in turn made him laugh harder.

The girl was on the floor now, just breathless, crying and still laughing silently, her hand was hitting the floor in her attempt to breathe and laugh and finally Jack heard her wheezing to breathing. He couldn't help but laugh more, which drove her to laugh harder, her face turn slightly pale as the blood rush began to halt, but right when she looked like she was about to pass out from air deprivation her lungs finally took a deep inhale that exhaled a loud wicked laugh from her.

Tears were flooding her eyes and her face was red again, her chest was expanding and deflating , she was shaking and laughing as she laid on the floor facing the ceiling. Jack kept laugh along with her until they finally settle down, but not before gaining tons of weird looks from the other worker in the office and the peek from the principle's room.

Jack didn't know why it was so funny. It just was, plus when was the last time someone actually got one of his jokes?

Watching the girl collect herself, she got off the floor and dust off the paper she had litter on the floor out off of her, Jack couldn't help but notice the thin red lines that faintly decorated her wrist. Her blazer did well to cover them but not good enough from Jack's eyes.

He decided to look away from the self inflicted wound, it wasn't his problem.

"Wow! Haven't laughed like that in centuries," her blue eyes which had been cloudy up till recently seemed more clear now that Jack took a closer look. A giggle still lingering around her words as she spoke to him ", it was refreshing, no?"

Jack simply replied with a grin and she giggled even more, he could help but think she was a foolish one.

Coughing to get his attention she extended an arm to him "You're Jack Napier right? The scholarship student from the lower East side of Gotham right?"

Hmm... the fact that she knew who he was right off the bat wasn't really suspicious, but something about his situation seemed off. Like it was too easy, but then again laughing for 7-10 minutes nonstop was quite a hard thing to pull off with a stranger, technically an acquaintance considering that they "saw" each other at the library. Was this her plan from the start? What was she planning? Maybe Jack was being paranoid again.

"Yea. And wh-" the exit of Robert cut off Jack as the two adults gingerly concluded their debate with promises of a future donation and other small talk to make the compromise look promising. They ended it with a handshake and the ebony hair girl was beckoned behind the principal before Jack could ask for her name.

Robert looked at him oddly as he witness the boy actually acknowledging a female human, before Jack gave him back one in return, along with smart remarks. They left after that, Jack often left school grounds way before school was over, another thing that was normal for Jack Napier.

However, looking in the side review mirror he couldn't help but think about the girl who laughed with him. What was her name?

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><p>What do you guys think about the story so far? I'm really kinda considering if I should stop or continue. Hmm... well depending on your answer I'll see what I should do with this story. I've written chapter 4 half way and will publish it if I plan to scrape this story and also tell you guys the ending of this new version of Wonderland, but if you guys don't think I should stop I'll continue.<p> 


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